The Formation And Realization Of Mencius’People-oriented Thought

The "people-oriented thought" originated in the early Western Zhou Dynasty. Until the mid Warring States Period, Mencius completely elaborated his own thought of "people-oriented". But "people","basis" is barely used together in his text. Mencius put "people-oriented thought" in his ideals of "Policy of benevolence" and "being ruler over the empire". If one wants to achieve the ideal of "being ruler over the empire". He must implement "Policy of benevolence". Specific measures of "Policy of benevolence" is "people-oriented". So Mencius’ideals of "Policy of benevolence" and "being ruler over the empire" achieve the goal of "people-oriented".About the formation of the "people-oriented thought", the previous researchers had two main ideas:one is the mode of two factors about king and people, the other is the mode of three factors about king, people and heaven. Both can be found evidence in the Mencius for the cause of the formation of the Mencius’ people-oriented thought. But this paper argues that this is only the surface reason. The essential reason about the formation of Mencius’ people-oriented thought is that Mencius discovered the value of people. The significant contrast between the value idea of universal equality and animals eating people prompts Mencius’people-oriented thought.In this paper, the study of the social status of the era of Mencius is based on the Mencius. The social status will be discussed from three aspects of economy, politics and education. Mencius comes up with the specific contents of the people-oriented thought because he was dissatisfied with these three aspects of economy, politics and education. The specific contents of the people-oriented thought are also discussed from these three aspects in this paper. If Mencius wants to carry out the people-oriented thought, he must get recognition and support of the king. The analysis for the reason that the people-oriented couldn’t be carried out is through whether the specific contents of the people-oriented according with the interests of the king.